1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a straw walker combine having a supplemental rotary separator located above the straw walkers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
DE-OS-1 904 406 discloses a combine with a tine-equipped rotor operating as an undershot conveyor located above straw walkers. This tine-equipped rotor is composed of a rotor housing, an axle supported eccentrically in bearings therein and tines rotatively supported in bearings on the axle and extending through the wall of the rotor housing. During the rotation of the rotor housing, the tines projecting to the greatest amount at the bottom of the rotor housing are moved in the direction of conveying of the straw walkers and tear apart the mat of straw, resulting in an increase in the separation of kernels still retained in the straw. To increase the rate of separation the tines are either fastened to the shaft through wobble plates or the shaft is constantly moved axially by means of an eccentric-drive motor. In this way the free ends of the tines also move in the axial direction of the rotor and further tear apart the mat of straw.
DE-OS-22 35 061 discloses a combine in which an overshot conveyor similar to a pick-up is located in its region between straw walkers and straw hood. In a forward region of the straw walkers this overhead conveyor takes up straw and delivers it again further downstream. In the region underneath the short straw can be separated. The overhead conveyor can also be provided immediately following a walker. A similar arrangement is also known from FR-PS-1,473,891 and DE-AS-2 103 981, where the arrangement according to the latter citations can be brought into a non-operating position.
According to GB-PS-698,324 an overhead conveyor is also provided above straw walkers that consists of a drum and on which toothed strips are mounted in the trailing direction.
DE-OS-2 431 588 teaches a supplementary separator in the delivery region of the thresher arrangement of a combine, that is provided with movable or flexible tines supported on a rotor which perform undershot conveying of the crop. The tines are flexible, but always extend with their full length into the crop. It is also proposed that several supplementary separators be arranged one after another.
According to DE-C3-42 09 020 a separator drum operating as overhead conveyor is inserted between a threshing assembly and a straw walker which catches the crop coming from the threshing assembly which has been threshed out and decelerates it so that kernels contained in the mass of the crop are deposited on the surface of the separator drum while the straw is passed along to the straw walkers.
DE-A1-41 27 118 shows a combine with straw walkers and a crop processing arrangement located above the walkers, which performs undershot conveying on the crop. Ahead of the crop processing arrangement a belt of tines is provided that also performs undershot conveying which tears apart the mass of crop and throws it at high speed into the slot between the crop processing arrangement and the straw walker.